New electronics store opens in White Oaks Mall

A new HHGregg electronics and appliance store in Springfield is among two in central Illinois and four in St. Louis as part of the retailer’s expansion outside Chicago.

Tim Landis

A new HHGregg electronics and appliance store in Springfield is among two in central Illinois and four in St. Louis as part of the retailer’s expansion outside Chicago.

The store at the south end of White Oaks Mall also is unusual in that it’s in a mall, general manager Chris Caldwell said Wednesday.

“There probably are only about a half-dozen or so in a mall,” said Caldwell. “Most are standalone stores.”

Caldwell said the Springfield store received “hundreds” of applications for 45 mostly full-time jobs. According to a company summary, new stores in Springfield, Champaign and St. Louis created 260 jobs.

The Indianapolis-based retailer has more than 200 stores in 17 states. The chain is named for founder Henry Harold Gregg.

Caldwell said the Springfield store layout is typical in that it includes separate areas for items ranging from home theaters and appliances to audio and health and fitness.

He said HHGregg often fills space vacated by retail chains that have cut back or closed. Linens ’n Things, which closed in 2009, previously occupied the mall space.

While the store might appear similar to Best Buy at first glance, Caldwell said there are key differences in HHGregg’s concentration on electronics, appliances, and more recently furniture and fitness equipment.

“Media is disappearing in retail,” said Caldwell. “You don’t go buy a DVD, Blu-ray or a CD week by week like you used to. It’s downloaded from Comcast, Netflix or iTunes.”

The store is among new retailers brought to White Oaks Mall during a major renovation project begun a year ago.

Mall marketing director Christine Lahmann said the project is more than 90 percent completed and should be finished this fall.